---
title: Create your first app
description: In this tutorial, learn how to create a new Expo project.
---

import { BookOpen02Icon } from '@expo/styleguide-icons/outline/BookOpen02Icon';
import { Download03Icon } from '@expo/styleguide-icons/outline/Download03Icon';

import { BoxLink } from '~/ui/components/BoxLink';
import { ContentSpotlight } from '~/ui/components/ContentSpotlight';
import { Terminal } from '~/ui/components/Snippet';
import { Step } from '~/ui/components/Step';
import { A } from '~/ui/components/Text';

In this chapter, let's learn how to create a new Expo project and how to get it running.

## Prerequisites

We'll need the following tools to get started:

- Install [Expo Go](https://expo.dev/go) on a physical device.
- Prepare for development by installing the required tools listed under [system requirements](/get-started/create-a-project/).

This tutorial also assumes that you have a basic knowledge of JavaScript and React. If you have never written React code, go through [the official React tutorial](https://react.dev/learn).

<Step label="1">

## Initialize a new Expo app

We will use <A href="/more/create-expo/">`create-expo-app`</A> to initialize a new Expo app. It is a command line tool that allows us to create a new React Native project with the `expo` package installed. Run the following command in your terminal:

<Terminal
  cmd={[
    '# Create a project named StickerSmash',
    '$ npx create-expo-app StickerSmash --template blank',
    '',
    '# Navigate to the project directory',
    '$ cd StickerSmash',
  ]}
  cmdCopy="npx create-expo-app StickerSmash --template blank && cd StickerSmash"
/>

This command will create a new directory for the project with the name **StickerSmash**. The `create-expo-app` has a `--template` option, which we can use to create and set up a new project with different pre-installed libraries. In this case, we're using the `blank` which installs the minimum required libraries. We'll continue to add more libraries throughout this tutorial when needed.

</Step>

<Step label="2">

## Download assets

<BoxLink
  title="Download assets archive"
  Icon={Download03Icon}
  description="We'll be using these assets throughout this tutorial."
  href="/static/images/tutorial/sticker-smash-assets.zip"
/>

After downloading the archive, unzip it and replace the existing **assets** directory with it in the project directory. This will override the default assets created when the new project was initialized.

Now, let's open the project directory in our favorite code editor or IDE. Throughout this tutorial, we will use VS Code for our examples.

</Step>

<Step label="3">

## Install dependencies

To run the project on the web, we need to install the following dependencies that will help to run the project on the web:

<Terminal cmd={['$ npx expo install react-dom react-native-web @expo/metro-runtime']} />

</Step>

<Step label="4">

## Run the app on mobile and web

In the project directory, run the following command to start a <A href="/more/glossary-of-terms/#development-server">development server</A> from the terminal:

<Terminal cmd={['$ npx expo start']} />

Once the development server is running, the easiest way to launch the app is on a physical device with Expo Go. For more information, see <A href="/get-started/start-developing/#open-the-app-on-your-device">Open app on a device</A>.

To see the web app in action, press <kbd>w</kbd> in the terminal. It will open the web app in the default web browser.

Once it is running on all platforms, the project should look like this:

<ContentSpotlight
  alt="App running on all platforms"
  src="/static/images/tutorial/01-app-running-on-all-platforms.jpg"
  className="max-w-[720px]"
/>

The text displayed on the app's screen above can be found in the **App.js** file which is at the root of the project's directory. It is the entry point of the project and is executed when the development server starts.

</Step>

## Next step

We have created a new Expo project and are ready to develop our StickerSmash app.

<BoxLink
  title="Build your app's first screen"
  Icon={BookOpen02Icon}
  description="In the next chapter, we'll learn how to build the app's first screen."
  href="/tutorial/build-a-screen"
/>
